Sunday 26 July 2009<!--StartFragment-->
<p class="MsoNormal">DAILY LECTIONARY</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Email Evangelism, forward to a friend: http://www.dailylectionary.org</p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">2 Samuel 1:17-27<o:p></o:p></p>
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<p class="MsoNormal">David intoned this lamentation over Saul and his son Jonathan. (He ordered that The Song of the Bow* be taught to the people of Judah; it is written in the Book of Jashar.) He said:</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Your glory, O Israel, lies slain upon your high places!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>How the mighty have fallen!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Tell it not in Gath,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>proclaim it not in the streets of Ashkelon;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">or the daughters of the Philistines will rejoice,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the daughters of the uncircumcised will exult.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You mountains of Gilboa,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>let there be no dew or rain upon you,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>nor bounteous fields!*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For there the shield of the mighty was defiled,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the shield of Saul, anointed with oil no more.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">From the blood of the slain,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>from the fat of the mighty,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">the bow of Jonathan did not turn back,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>nor the sword of Saul return empty.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Saul and Jonathan, beloved and lovely!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>In life and in death they were not divided;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">they were swifter than eagles,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they were stronger than lions.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O daughters of Israel, weep over Saul,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who clothed you with crimson, in luxury,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who put ornaments of gold on your apparel.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How the mighty have fallen</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in the midst of the battle!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Jonathan lies slain upon your high places.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>I am distressed for you, my brother Jonathan;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">greatly beloved were you to me;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>your love to me was wonderful,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>passing the love of women.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How the mighty have fallen,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the weapons of war perished!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Romans 12:9-21</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Let love be genuine; hate what is evil, hold fast to what is good; love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honour. Do not lag in zeal, be ardent in spirit, serve the Lord.* Rejoice in hope, be patient in suffering, persevere in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints; extend hospitality to strangers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly;* do not claim to be wiser than you are. Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all. If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave room for the wrath of God;* for it is written, ‘Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.’ No, ‘if your enemies are hungry, feed them; if they are thirsty, give them something to drink; for by doing this you will heap burning coals on their heads.’ Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Matthew 25:31-46</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">‘When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and he will put the sheep at his right hand and the goats at the left. Then the king will say to those at his right hand, “Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.” Then the righteous will answer him, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?” And the king will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,* you did it to me.” Then he will say to those at his left hand, “You that are accursed, depart from me into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not give me clothing, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.” Then they also will answer, “Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not take care of you?” Then he will answer them, “Truly I tell you, just as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Morning Psalms: Psalm 24, 29</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 24</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the world, and those who live in it;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">for he has founded it on the seas,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and established it on the rivers.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>And who shall stand in his holy place?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Those who have clean hands and pure hearts,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who do not lift up their souls to what is false,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and do not swear deceitfully.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They will receive blessing from the Lord,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and vindication from the God of their salvation.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Such is the company of those who seek him,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>who seek the face of the God of Jacob.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lift up your heads, O gates!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and be lifted up, O ancient doors!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that the King of glory may come in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who is the King of glory?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Lord, strong and mighty,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Lord, mighty in battle.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Lift up your heads, O gates!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and be lifted up, O ancient doors!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>that the King of glory may come in.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Who is this King of glory?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>The Lord of hosts,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he is the King of glory.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 29</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ascribe to the Lord, O heavenly beings,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>ascribe to the Lord glory and strength.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Ascribe to the Lord the glory of his name;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>worship the Lord in holy splendour.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord is over the waters;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the God of glory thunders,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Lord, over mighty waters.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord is powerful;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the voice of the Lord is full of majesty.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord breaks the cedars;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Lord breaks the cedars of Lebanon.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">He makes Lebanon skip like a calf,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and Sirion like a young wild ox.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord flashes forth flames of fire.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord shakes the wilderness;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Lord shakes the wilderness of Kadesh.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The voice of the Lord causes the oaks to whirl,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and strips the forest bare;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and in his temple all say, ‘Glory!’</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">The Lord sits enthroned over the flood;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the Lord sits enthroned as king for ever.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">May the Lord give strength to his people!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>May the Lord bless his people with peace!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Evening Psalms: Psalm 8, 84</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 8</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord, our Sovereign,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>how majestic is your name in all the earth!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You have set your glory above the heavens.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>Out of the mouths of babes and infants</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to silence the enemy and the avenger.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the moon and the stars that you have established;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">what are human beings that you are mindful of them,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>mortals* that you care for them?</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Yet you have made them a little lower than God,*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and crowned them with glory and honour.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">You have given them dominion over the works of your hands;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>you have put all things under their feet,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">all sheep and oxen,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and also the beasts of the field,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>whatever passes along the paths of the seas.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord, our Sovereign,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>how majestic is your name in all the earth!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Psalm 84</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">How lovely is your dwelling place,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>O Lord of hosts!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">My soul longs, indeed it faints</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>for the courts of the Lord;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">my heart and my flesh sing for joy</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>to the living God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Even the sparrow finds a home,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>and the swallow a nest for herself,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>where she may lay her young,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">at your altars, O Lord of hosts,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>my King and my God.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Happy are those who live in your house,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>ever singing your praise.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Happy are those whose strength is in you,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>in whose heart are the highways to Zion.*</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">As they go through the valley of Baca</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>they make it a place of springs;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the early rain also covers it with pools.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">They go from strength to strength;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>the God of gods will be seen in Zion.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>give ear, O God of Jacob!</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun:
yes"> </span>Selah</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">Behold our shield, O God;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>look on the face of your anointed.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For a day in your courts is better</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>than a thousand elsewhere.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>than live in the tents of wickedness.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">For the Lord God is a sun and shield;</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>he bestows favour and honour.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">No good thing does the Lord withhold</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>from those who walk uprightly.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">O Lord of hosts,</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes"> </span>happy is everyone who trusts in you.</p>
<p class="MsoNormal">******************************************************************</p>
<p class="MsoNormal"> <o:p></o:p></p>
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